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boostedmonkey | Mar 9, 2016 7:58 AM
You have been removed from C&C for inactivity for the month of February. Although I may have made a mistake on my document as there are some members I believe have been active. If this is a mistake just request access to rejoin.
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Zadion | May 18, 2014 9:17 PM
Hey, thought I should tell you that your Higurashi link on your profile actually links to the MAL page for Trigun.
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Orion1 | Nov 30, 2013 4:50 PM
Welcome to Critics and Connoisseurs Club! Please familiarize yourself with our Club Faq page. Welcome!!!
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moscasdefuego | Apr 29, 2013 2:29 PM
"You started a "Higurashi is overrated" club after only watching seven episodes?" epic win
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Decamper | Jul 27, 2012 10:58 AM
I know, right? Mushishi is pretty fantastic. I think it was the sound, all the sounds, that got me (not that everything else wasn’t nigh-perfect). All the music, from the seemingly strange, but wholly fitting, choice of an OP, to the changing EDs, fit so well with how ethereal and subdued it was. Still listen go through that playlist once in a while (usually alongside the Haibane OST). And the little sounds! Just things like leaves in the wind, or the sliding of a door, everything just -fit-. Of course, voice acting was spot on, never overly dramatic, and always very human. Right, enough gushing.
I assume I’ll one day watch Code Geass, if not because of how prevalent it is around MAL, but it does like slightly out of my particular alley. Never know though, I didn’t think Aria would be my bit either when I first tried it, and that ended up significantly changing what I thought my tastes were. Also, since you’re almost at 100 complete chinese cartoons, once you finish Mushishi and Last Exile (how are you finding that, by the way?), I think it would be neat if you’d check out this club. It’s a fun place, and (generally) not as wine-swirling douchey as it might come across (the entry requirements can be a bit silly, but you already meet most of them), just a nice place to talk about shows/comics, and a great place to find new shows/comics. At the very least, you could come by the irc channel sometime (#critics-conn at irc.rizon.net). There’s a few of us who are usually idling (or talking inanities) there, so do come say hello. |
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Decamper | Apr 25, 2012 9:11 AM
You can direct your thanks towards Envoy Ariaholic, stole it from her.
Tatami was indeed fantastic, and I'm sure you'll have fun with Kaiba too, it's one of Yuasa's best. It's also well worth checking out some of Nakamura's stuff (except C, that was shit). His stuff has a lot of the same art house surrealism that Yuasa likes so much. Mononoke is probably his best, if you're ever going to give him a try. Haven't read anything by Nabokov, but I've heard a chunk of rage for and against Lolita, so one day, probably (have my own backlog of novels to work through, my reading has slowed down a lot this last year...). I haven't gotten around to Steins;Gate, but I definitely plan too, if not just to see what all the excitement was about (trying not to get expectations to high up though, that never goes well). And concerning some of the more stand-out stuff from the past few seasons; - Chihayafuru was pretty fantastic. I haven't seen many sports anime (all I can think of are Saki and this one), so I don't know if it differentiates itself that much. Aside from that, it was great across the board; being produce by Madhouse and all, it had fantastic art, and the orchestral score is almost enough to make the show by itself. Characters were likeable, with some nice progression for a few of them, and though as a whole it leaned on melodrama a bit much, being pretty firmly set in josei territory kept it from getting silly. Really good stuff, heartily recommend. - If you want something that's just fun and easy to watch, then Ben-To, just Ben-To. It's a battle shounen with said battles being fought over boxed meals. It's just ridiculous, but so much fun. - Hourou Musuko is novel, not many anime actually try to handle transgender very delicately. I'm not entirely sure it does it as well as it could have, but it's still something different. Art style is really nice too. - Two seasons of Natsume Yuujinchou aired last year. It's a great series to get into, though it's getting along in episode count, with the fourth season just wrapping up, totalling 52 episodes across all seasons. - And Usagi Drop. Your heart will melt. Seriously, if you do go for any of these shows, try this one. It was beautiful, both art and story (but for god's sake, don't read the manga). So, yeah, those are what I'd say are the standout shows from the last year. There was plenty more that was pretty good, but these were the ones that were most worth the time (there were a crap load that weren’t so; it’s much easier to digest bad shows when it’s only one episode a week…). Last bit, I see you’re getting close to your 100 mark! Once you get there, I think it’d be worth checking out this place. If you can get past the mildly self-righteous atmosphere it carries, it’s really a nice place to find new shows and have some fun discussions. At the very least, you could drop by the irc to see what people are talking about (if they are talking). The entry requirements can be a bit silly though, depending on you like to rate stuff. Anyways, that’s far more than enough writing. Have fun with Mushishi, and Dennou Coil and GitS if you get around to them. That’s a great line up you have there. |
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Decamper | Feb 29, 2012 8:14 PM
Hmm, Ponyo might be my least favourite Ghibli piece (still thought it was fun though, of course), so Arrietty being on-par with it doesn't make me feel like going too far out of my way to see it (which I'd have to, damn university and work, getting in the way of my cartoons). Still like to go for the, as you said, novelty of seeing Ghibli in a theatre.
In all honesty, I don't remember much of anything specific about Castle in the Sky. I know I enjoyed a chase scene of some sort quite a lot, but I can't actually remember the scene itself, besides that vague impression. Maybe I'm just weird though, given that my favourite Ghibli movie is Only Yesterday, one lacking any fantastical elements at all. And ha, I have a friend who started Eureka 7. You made it much further than he did. |
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Decamper | Feb 27, 2012 10:34 AM
So, I was sitting in English, not listening to the prof rant while poking my phone, when I thought 'hey, I haven't creeped Crono's profile in a good 3 months.' So I did that, saw you started Mushshi, and was happy.
Also, Arrietty. I've been watching a bit more Ghibli lately, and was thinking of going to see Arrietty, it being in theatres here and all. Was it worth going to? |
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Decamper | Oct 3, 2011 10:14 PM
There's nary an episode of Penguindrum that doesn't flip its shit. And it's awesome.
I'm pretty sure I'm going to watch FMA next, though I'm also jumping into a bunch of western cartoons (Samurai Jack, Starship Troopers, Clone Wars (not the cgi one)) I used to watch a long time ago to see if they were actually any good, or if I was just crazy. I was thinking about giving Avatar a shot too, and that looks about as shounen as you can get, so I think if I'm open to that then it would make sense to be fine with FMA. How's Monster going? You seem to be making a pretty steady progression through it. Random last note - episode 39 of Juuni Kokuki is possible the single best anime episode I've seen. Not meant to be a recommendation (I'm not done the series yet), I'm just required to tell everyone (whether they watch anime or not) that, holy crap, this stuff. |
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Decamper | Sep 5, 2011 10:16 PM
Haven't looked at FMA yet mostly because of general fear of shonen and series longer than 20ish episodes. I have another friend who vouches for it, so it's probably only a matter of time until I watch it. Though, I'm of the impression my anime watching is going to slow way the hell down, depending on what my university classes turn out to be like.
I've been using gg for Penguindrum, they have a good translator on it. If you go with them, the TL has a blog where he explains things lost in translation/general observations, strongly suggest reading it over after each episode. Lot of neat things in there. |
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Decamper | Sep 5, 2011 7:17 PM
Avoiding Key is a good idea. If Clannad is supposedly their magnum opus, then Air is beyond my ability to fathom, along with Kanon.
Penguindrum has been probably been the most fun I've had with an airing series, I never know where it's going to go, and half the time I don't even know what genre it's going to be, and I love it for that. Same reason I'm enjoying Utena, love a show that keeps me on my toes, whilst frequently tripping me. Unless you have something against watching airing shows, I'd say it'd be a great idea to check out. Is Monster still fairing well? You've made a sizeable dent in it. |
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Decamper | Aug 10, 2011 3:46 PM
I didn't know until a week os so after the whole Bin Laden thing that people were celebrating it. Can't say there was much reaction here, as far as I noticed, beyond "oh, well that's a thing I guess." I was a little weirded out when I found out about the parties that started up after the news. I guess I can understand New York, but it still irks me a bit.
I had just noticed SMPS had a distressing lack of a Haibane Renmei review, beyond mention in one or a few of the top tens. While I have no doubt SMPS has a better forum community than this one (can't say that'd be too hard to do though), I've been trying to avoid internet forums for the most part. Besides occasionally meeting cool people, every forum I've gone to has ended up being a pretty shotty experience. Also; the Evangelion OP is glorious. |
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Decamper | Aug 3, 2011 5:21 PM
And I'm glad to be back.
As in your dad says no to the military, or general consensus between both of you? I more or less had the same thing, but everything worked out joining the Reserves so I don't have to shoot people (and have those same people shoot at me). I'm of the interpretation your National Guard is similiar, but nevermind, I said I didn't recommend it and I shouldn't double-back. Again, nice writing there. I'm also curious now, are you a columnist at socksmakepeoplesexy, or is the site open to contributors? I've been seeing more of the site lately, but I haven't looked into it too deeply yet. Well, if Chobits turned out to have some worth while bits in it then I might have to give it a try. Subject fits my interests well enough. That reminds me, did you watch Eve no Jikan yet? If you haven't, it would neat to watch it after having finished Chobits, could be a fun contrast. Oh, I've seen and loved Monster, one of my favorite series actually. You're in for a fun ride, it makes diligent use of the vast majority of those 74 episodes, especially towards the end. |
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Decamper | Jul 31, 2011 9:42 PM
I can't say I recommend joining the army.
Anyways, tell me shits! I assume you've finished Chobits, and I can see Monster, Grave of the Fireflies and whatever GaoGaiGar is in your recently watched thingy. Thoughts (especially on Monster and Fireflies)! |
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decoy_octopus | Jul 5, 2011 6:02 PM
let me know if you meet any
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Decamper | Jul 1, 2011 11:26 AM
Good job! I've never had the resolution to finish a review/analysis, so I'd say you've got me beat. Well written too, captured everything that needs to be said, can’t say there’s anything missing in it. Fine job.
Still have some reservations about Chobits, notably said fetishes, but it’s pleasant to hear you’re enjoying it. The problem isn’t so much having sexual themes, because really, of course that’s what androids and what not would be used for, but it can be handled without being silly about it. Ghost in the Shell and Eve no Jikan I’d say both show examples of how to not exploit it (well, the GitS manga excluded). Though, again, I’m not an ecchi fan, so my arguments are pointless. In other news, I’m going to be in the absence of a computer for the next month or so starting in a couple days (as far as I can tell, that’s the worst part of military training…), so you’ll have to me fill me in on your anime-related hijinks when I get back. |
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Decamper | Jun 28, 2011 8:01 PM
How goes Ghost Hound, by the way?
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Decamper | Jun 28, 2011 7:37 PM
For all of Aria goodness, go: Animation - Natural special - Natural - OVA: Arietta - Origination with the special shoved in after episode 5, though it's entirely possible to skip pretty much all of it if you're solely focused on watching Origination (can't exactly recommend it, but it's been done). Also; yay, you're thinking about watching Aria! Protip if you do; generally best not to marathon it, higher chance of getting bored/inducing euphoric coma.
Besides TTGL, all the other mecha I've seen (in their entirety), the Patlabor films, FLAG, and Bokurano, I've actually quite liked. Reason for that being that the mechs aren't anywhere close to the primary focus or drive of the shows. In both the second Patlabor and FLAG, the film/series would be essentially the same if the mechs were simply switched to tanks. Bokurano's a bit different, with the mechs being a bajillion metres tall and all, but they only serve as the jumping off point for the plot so the focus can immediately switch over to the characters (sidenote: Bokurano is friggen hard to watch, so don't take that as a recommendation unless you're in the mood to hate everything). Besides those few, I've watched single episodes of Gundam, Eureka 7, Macross, one of Eva (a long time ago), and bits of random shows on TV that I really don't know what they were part of. For whatever reason I immediately get antagonistic when giant human shaped machines appear, yet I seemingly have no issues with mahou shoujo series. I don't really get it, so I'll just assume I'm stupid for the moment being. Higurashi: ah, that makes sense. My horror reading senses are all jacked up, so I can never get a firm opinion of a lot of them. For whatever reason, horror movies that are genuinely good (i.e., the ones you mentioned) and that I love, I can't find that frightening compare to the objectively shitty ones (i.e., The Grudge movies are just horrible, but I cannot watch those goddamn things. Also, should have put quotations around 'horror' when referring to goreporn, à la Saw). If Higurashi's main focus was on horror, with everything else used to support that, then that sorts some things out (though I'm still not big on the silly bits. Yeah, I get their purpose, but...). When I come back to the series (and I'm sure I eventually will), I'll adjust expectations accordingly. Thanks for that. To save space, Mai-Hime: |
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Decamper | Jun 20, 2011 3:24 PM
I assume at some point I'll be hit by the urge to watch Eva, being a classic and all. Maybe I'll develop a taste for mecha overtime (and yeah, I don't like giant robots in general).
Tangential side-track; I'm curious about Higurashi. When I watched I don’t think I really ‘got’ it. I don’t mean the plot, more the focus. I didn’t know what the series was going for, or what I was supposed to be looking for, therefore hurting my initial impression of it. I’d love to have someone (in this case, you’re the obvious referral) who appreciates the series explain it, and again, not the plot so much as what the focal point is supposed to be, whether it be characters, themes, or if it was indeed plot-focused. The general criticism I hear a lot is that the series is simply focused on gore and its attached type of horror, but I didn’t really get that feeling while watching it. Not at all meaning this as a dig against the show, I’m just genuinely curious and think it would be beneficial to learn more about it, maybe even warrant another watch with a respectively shifted viewpoint. Unrelated bit that I can’t think of a sufficient segue for – Unbeknownst to me, I’ve progressively come to be seemingly required to watch/read a slice-of-life series/manga on the side at all times. I’ve been able to convince myself otherwise as the series’ have always had something else I can pin my reasoning’s onto (Azumanga’s (and recently Nichijou’s) absurdist humour, Aria/Yokohama’s serenity, etc.), but reading and enjoying the hell out of Yotsuba&! has brought the somewhat unsettling realisation that I can truly enjoy a serious that is solely unashamed moeblob fluffiness. Purpose to all that, I don’t know what to watch/read next, and there’s a lot of cruddy slice-of-life out there, but by god I still have some standards left. You’ve said good things about Hidamari before (actually, this conversation may have already happened, but I’m too lazy to go back and look), do you think that would be a safe place to start at? Good to hear about Tutu. I’ve tried to maintain that any great, or even good, show requires multiple viewings, and it’s good to hear Tutu doesn’t lose any steam on reviewing. Also; Mai-HiME is silly. |
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Decamper | Jun 17, 2011 5:34 PM
"culminating in a grandma who drowns a bunch of kittens for no reason"
Bahahaha, I think you've solidified my resolution for watching it now. There's no way I can let something that silly go unseen. No, I haven't been avoiding Evangelion because of the hatedom, internet has taught me hatedoms, and fandoms really, are pretty much just the worst things. Example: I'm a self-proclaimed ‘fan’ of Lain, but by god I’ll be damned if I get close to the fandom (which I’m part of) for fear of turning into an insufferable jackass. And really, the few somewhat legitimate sounding arguments I’ve heard against Eva (overuse of symbolism, allusions and all around wtfery) are the things I loved about Lain, so that’s not much of a problem. The reason I’ve been avoiding it is because I’m incredibly peevish. I’ve seen myself due it with a number of other anime series (FLCL, Higurashi, TTGL), where I’ll fixate on the little surface things that seem to require my constant scorn, making me miss the good stuff going on underneath it. In this case, giant robots will fill that little annoying spot I won’t be able to stop concentrating on. So I’ve just been avoiding it so I won’t have the absolute knowledge that I ended up hating it for stupid reasons. |